First Drive: 2017 Lamborghini Aventador S

FOUR-WHEEL STEERING. What a simple, brilliant concept. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn the opposite way as the fronts; at higher speeds, they all move in the same direction. The effect is something like a telescoping wheelbase. Hardware and software, working together, in an attempt to offer the maneuverability of a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe one moment, the stability of a limousine the next.

Four-wheel steering isn't exactly new, but it's the feature du jour, cropping up in everything from Cadillacs to the Porsche 911. But no machine has benefited from the tech as much as the new Lamborghini Aventador S. Lambo's engineers claim the system has a wider operating range than rivals', switching from counter- to in-phase steering at a higher speed and turning the wheels more. The result is a car that, though not perfect, drives like it looks.

High time. For all its scissor-door theater and flame-spitting antics, the Aventador always felt like a fastball that fell a foot short of home plate. Seem harsh? That's nothing compared with the ride. When it wasn't skipping over bumps, the front end was inclined to wash out, fits of understeer overcome only by drivers of superhuman ability. Still, testing the Aventador against a Ferrari F12berlinetta in Modena back in 2013, we were mobbed by people clamoring to pose for photos with the mid-engine monster. People who couldn't imagine that the boring front-engine Ferrari they'd walked past was twice as good.

Charlie Magee

Lamborghini can't afford for its flagship to keep skating by on curb appeal, though. Not with a new Ford GT and McLaren 720S on the horizon. Hence the Aventador S, which supersedes the base Aventador this year. All of the outgoing car's exotic kit—the upward-opening doors, the screaming V12, the hand-laid carbon chassis, the pushrod suspension—carries over. It has a new lightweight exhaust, aero tweaks, and revised springs. That fancy pushrod suspension now features magnetorheological shocks; a fourth drive mode allows you to mix and match chassis and drivetrain settings. Audi calls this mode Individual. In the Aventador S, it's called Ego.

But the star really is that new four-wheel steering. Two actuators at the rear axle apply up to three degrees of countersteering angle, mimicking a crazy, 19.7-inch wheelbase reduction. To stave off rotation at autobahn speeds, 1.5 degrees of steering angle is available, replicating a 27.5-inch stretch between the axles. The system makes adjustments every five milliseconds and is functional from 0 mph to the car's 217-mph top speed.

Charlie Magee

One blast around the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia, Spain, and it's clear why Lamborghini is so keen on this setup: The Aventador S is loads more fun than the car it replaces. It wants to turn, even more so than the track-focused, gumball-equipped Aventador SV. It'll yaw a little too, since Sport mode can send 90 percent of torque rearward. You can trim your line with the gas, trail brake into corners, push the tail out a little on the exit. This Goliath of a car verges on playful. But it still doesn't suffer clumsy driving. The point at which you add the throttle on corner exit is crucial. Breathe on it a fraction too early and you'll lose the Lambo's nose.

On the road, the four-wheel-steering benefits are even more pronounced. It helps to eradicate joy-killing understeer, and mountain switchbacks seemingly require half the arm effort. Those new magnetic shocks deliver far better composure. All told, it's enough to make you forget that the Aventador S weighs in at about 4000 pounds. You'll never mistake it for a Lotus Elise, but this is a big step in the right direction.

Charlie Magee

So the Aventador S rights many wrongs. It also makes many rights even righter. There's more power, naturally, from the naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12. Output climbs from 691 to 730 hp, thanks to a redesigned intake and optimized variable valve timing. Not that you'll notice. Even the stopwatch doesn't, Lamborghini quoting the same 2.9-second 0—62-mph time as before. It's mighty quick, but cars from the class below have caught up.

That said, the blown V8 supercars don't have the same feel-good factor. Even at the Aventador S's $424,845 price, there's nothing like it. You'll need to step up to a million-dollar hypercar to go sillier. It's debatable whether any of them look better. A new front splitter and rear diffuser give the Lambo the effect of a much leaner, lower, wider car, and along with a new rear spoiler, contribute to a claimed 130 percent increase in front downforce. You won't feel that cruising around South Beach, but everybody there will admire the exquisite, multispoke forged rims. They'll still be lining up for selfies.

Charlie Magee

I t should be noted that, even by supercar standards, this one is riddled with niggles. The headroom is terrible. The old single-clutch transmission feels lightyears off the pace. The less said about the stereo, the better. But just when the practical points start getting annoying, you hear that V12 roar and watch the new TFT instrument dial register a full 8500 rpm before hooking another brutal upshift, a sensation like being rear-ended at a stoplight. And it all seems somehow forgivable.

After all, isn't that the point? To be the comic bad guy, the proverbial heel in a WWE match, all pomp and faux meanness. Banging gears home hard, just to show off. Bragging about your V12 because everyone else runs blown eights these days. Lamborghini's upcoming SUV, which will soon double the automaker's 3500-car annual output, might be the company's future. But the brand is built on the credibility of cars like the Aventador. The S's changes make it a lot more credible. More raging, less bull.

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